Might just be in the need for a dedicated slug gun...... I hope to have details why soon. Looking for some advice from the guys that do and/or have used them. I already have a nice 12 gauge O/U that I do not want use and beat up (weather, tree stands, shooting houses, ect). Some specifics: taking shots from elevated positions only, no further than +/- 100 yards. I need a scope, my eyes are not working with the iron sights well enough. looking for pros and cons...what to keep an eye on, best value for the buck.
rifled vs smooth
single shot vs pump vs bolt action
Lets hear it.
Rifled barrel will always beat the smoothbore in accuracy, but of course it cost more. Rifled slugs are much cheaper than sabots. With the action, it all depends on how much shootin' you think you'd be doing.
Couple years ago I got to shoot a Salvage bolt action 12G with rifled barrel.
Using sabot shells, it was no problem to shoot 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards.
Only down side to that rifle was the recoil... very heavy recoil made it painful to shoot.
If I was in the market for a dedicated hunting slug gun it would be the same Savage but in 20G.
check out some slug gun forums. the accuracy limiting thing with slug guns imo is 80% + the trigger which aren't and can't be made to be as good as rifles. this is if you are seeking that supposed 4" at 200 yd "myth?" there was a slug gun with rifled bbl craze that didn't last long in the early 90's I think. there was 1 company that made a real good quality bolt action/ trigger/ wood/ rifled bbl /scoped rifle. of course I can't think of the name now but they could do 2" at 200 yd's and were app 400$ back then I believe. you need to decide on smoothbore or rifled. the H&R singleshots would be an improvement on a pump or semi imo. you could dedicate a gun strictly for slugs and pin the bbl, but you still have the trigger issues. Mossberg made a bolt slug gun/rifled bbl during this time that I tried and with sabots was much better than the pump with or without a rifled bbl but imo it was a black plastic pos. I think a hastings slug bbl smooth or rifled and pinned into a 870 or a 500 pump with a good open/reflex or scope should do you to 100 yd's.
Remington 870 express, smooth bore, in 12 and 20 ga. pump with Remington rifled slugs. The reason for me to prefer smooth bore is to be able to use the slug + buckshot combination for first and follow up shots and for turkey hunting as I don't have a dedicated turkey gun. I try keeping shots under 70 yards. Deadly for hogs.
